


one hundred and fifty two days

by thenewromantics



Category: Stranger Things (TV 2016)
Genre: 'what if mike and eleven had reunited before they actually did' idea, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, F/F, but i think it's appropriate, mike & el are the only characters actually here but hop & the other boys are briefly mentioned, this is basically my version of the, very light on the dialogue, which pretty much sums up what happens in this fic
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-02-22
Updated: 2018-02-22
Packaged: 2019-03-22 11:57:12
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,954
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13763664
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/thenewromantics/pseuds/thenewromantics
Summary: it's been one hundred and fifty two days since el disappeared and now mike is lost in the woods. it's been one hundred and fifty two days since el escaped the upside down and now el is bored and tired of waiting.aka mike stumbles across a mysterious cabin in the woods.





	one hundred and fifty two days

**Author's Note:**

> so in the progress of writing chapter two of cutting edge (which is coming, i promise!!), this random one shot came to me and i had a hard time shaking it. my muse hardly ever comes to visit me these days so i feel like i have to indulge it when it decides to come around. 
> 
> basically as much as i love the canon mileven reunion (seriously, i still tear up whenever i think about it), i can't help but think about the possibility of them reuniting sooner, so thus this fic was born.
> 
> so, without further ado, enjoy!! also the t rating is just for a couple of curse words courtesy of mike, i'm sure i could have gotten away with a g rating, but i wanted to be safe, but yeah it's just t because of some curse words, nothing else.

It’s official, Mike Wheeler was one hundred percent lost. 

This wasn’t the first time that Mike had found himself wandering around in the woods in the last couple of months, he liked to come here sometimes when the rest of his life was suffocating him, but usually he didn’t wander too far from the tracks, and his bike, and was able to get himself back to where he was supposed to be pretty easily. But tonight the darkness had come faster than he had expected and he was pretty sure he had taken a wrong turn a couple miles back and now he was in the middle of the woods with no idea where he was, or how to get home. 

The biggest shock of this was how unafraid he was of being lost in the woods. Sure, it was a little spooky to hear a branch break behind him and not know what it was, but after everything that Mike had been through in the last five months, fear wasn’t something he experienced all that often anymore. 

(Fact of the matter was, if you asked anyone who had talked to Mike in the last five months, they would tell you that it seemed as though the only emotion he seemed to be in touch with these days was anger.) 

Mike was almost eerily calm as he continued to stumble through the woods. Unfortunately, with the overcast weather of the day, night had come faster then he had expected so the trees were cloaked in darkness, even though it couldn’t be much later than seven o’clock. This meant that branches and rocks were unseen to Mike, he hadn’t thought to bring a flashlight with him, and he had tripped more than once. 

There was a tiny voice in the back of his mind telling him to be scared, Will had disappeared after being lost in the woods by himself, what if the demogorgon was still out there and was looking for fresh blood. But, he was able to ignore that voice, focusing instead of trying to get home, or at least  _ somewhere _ that wasn’t in the middle of woods. Sure, he wasn’t scared or anything, but he was starting to get tired and hungry. 

(It was harder to ignore the even smaller voice in his head that was telling him that maybe he wanted to run into the demogorgon, that maybe it would reunite him with El, who he  _ knew _ was still out there somewhere even if it had been 152 days and there was still radio silence.) 

He wondered if his mom was worried about him, if eventually he would run into Chief Hopper, who would be out looking for him. He doubted it though. It had been weeks since either one of his parents seemed overly concerned about him, they probably just assumed he was at Dustin’s house or something. 

As he continued to trudge through the woods, he felt himself being pulled through the trees, his feet seemingly having a mind of their own. 

After about a half an hour of walking, and a stinging cut on his cheek from a low hanging branch, Mike found himself nearing a clearing. He could see the break in the trees and he sighed happily. He couldn’t read the number on his watch due to the darkness, but it had to be almost eight by now, and his feet were burning and it felt like there was a hole in his stomach, seeing as he hadn’t eaten anything that day. 

(It certainly wasn’t the first time he had gone an entire day without eating, most days he only put food in his mouth to please his mother or because he knew that had to. He couldn’t remember the last time he felt genuinely hungry like this, and he was banking on the strenuous physical activity of being lost in the woods for four and a half hours as being the root of it.) 

Of course, there was no guarantee that there would be anything in this clearing, hell, maybe it was just a break in trees with a singular rock, but considering he had gotten himself to said clearing without any kind of compass or map, maybe he was a better navigator then he had thought it was. The clearing might help him figure out exactly where he was so he could find his way, or he could find  _ anyone  _ using his walkie and call for assistance. 

It wasn’t until he pushed himself a little closer that he noticed that there was a cabin in this clearing. And not just any cabin, a cabin that happened to have a light on. 

The whole thing had a eerily horror movie vibe to it, a cabin in the middle of the woods with a singular light on, no cars in sight. God, there was probably a murderer in there or something but for some reason, Mike didn’t feel afraid. He had goosebumps on the back of his neck, but the feeling he felt was much more akin to anticipation than it was to fear. 

Being careful to not trip over anything, Mike slowly made his way to the cabin, stopping to take in the surroundings. It was dark in the clearing, the only light illuminating from a window in the cabin, but it didn’t look like there was anything else for miles. It looked like there was a trail of some sorts off to his right, but whether it led anywhere was unknown to him. 

Despite not being afraid, Mike didn’t feel confident enough just walking up to the cabin and knocking on the door. Just because he didn’t think he was going to be murdered didn’t mean that whoever was on the other side of that door was going to help him. 

“Just take a look around first.” He whispered to himself, beginning to toe around the cabin, making sure to stay as quiet as possible, not wanting to disturb the occupant. 

However, his plan to be quiet was quickly foiled when he felt his shin ram into a rock, sending what felt like a gunshot throughout his entire body. “Shit!” 

Okay so yeah, being totally silent was definitely off the table. 

He stood still for a couple of seconds, waiting to hear some kind of movement from inside the cabin, anticipating someone coming out the front door, probably wielding some kind of axe or something, demanding to know what some punk ass kid was doing on their property. But it never came, the cabin stood as still and silent as it had a few minutes before, and Mike took that as a sign that he could begin moving again, this time taking a closer look at the ground not wanting a repeat of what had just happened. 

As he circled the cabin, he took a look through some of the windows. It’s not like he was trying to be some perverted Peeping Tom or anything like that (not that the occupant of the cabin would believe him if they happened to see him), but he was just looking for any sign of life. But beyond the singular light that was coming from what looked like the kitchen, Mike couldn’t spot any evidence that anyone lived there. 

Sure, there was some furniture in there, a couch and a bed from the thin available strip of window he managed to look through ( _ yeah he was definitely going to get some kind of Peeping Tom reputation if anyone finds out about this _ ), but nothing overly personal. It kind of just looked like someone’s camping cabin that only got a couple of uses throughout the year. 

After a couple minutes of wandering around the exterior and deciding that no one lived there, reasoning that it was probably a seasonal cabin or something, not that he could figure out why the  _ hell _ someone would own some kind of vacation home in Hawkins of all fucking places, he decided to give it up. Not wanting to go back the way he came, he began making his way to the path he had spotted earlier, hoping that maybe it would lead him back to the road. 

It was too late now to try and go back to his bike on the tracks, god he hoped no one had stolen it since it had been abandoned for hours now, so he decided that he was just going to try and find his way home, maybe this path would magically lead him to Will’s house or something. 

He was just about to start walking, the cabin already in the back of his mind as he started thinking of how he might be able to get to Will’s house from here, which would certainly be closer than his own house, when he heard a noise behind him. 

A noise that sounded exactly like a door opening. 

His heart began to beat wildly in his chest and he could feel goosebumps running up and down his arms, his body shivering in the cool of the mid April night. The rational part of his mind was telling him to just keep walking, that he could get a head start on whoever might be behind him if they started chasing him. But the other part of his brain was telling him to turn around. 

So he did. 

And when he did, he felt his breath leave his lungs like he had been punched in the gut. 

Because standing in front of him, backlit by the warm light from the cabin, was El. Her hair was longer than the last time he had seen her, growing in curls around her head like a brown halo, and gone was the pink dress and blue jacket she had disappeared in, replaced with a oversized sweater and jeans. But her eyes were the same deep brown he remembered, and that was enough to bring tears to his own. 

She was the most beautiful thing he had ever seen. 

“El?”

 

* * *

 

It’s official, El was one hundred percent bored of her mind.    


It was day one hundred and fifty two and she was laying stomach down on her bed, staring at the wall in front of her, waiting. 

She didn’t know for what exactly; for Mike to call, for Hopper to get back from the station, for anything more exciting than this to happen. But she was certainly bored, that was for sure. She had read all the books, there was nothing on television to watch and she was pretty sure her stuffed bear was getting sick of playing school with her. 

So instead she waited. 

According to the small clock that sat on the table next to her bed it was eight four five, which told her that Hopper was late, but that didn’t surprise her. He always seemed to be late these days, but at least today he had remembered to radio her to tell her as such. 

This wasn’t the life that she had been promised all those days ago before the demogorgon and Papa had shown up, it wasn’t the fort in Mike’s basement with his mom’s amazing cooking and a regular life, but it was away from the bad men, it was warm and she still had eggos, so she supposed she didn’t have much to complain about. 

She missed Mike though. 

His nightly calls kept her going. It hurt more than anything to know that he was out there and she couldn’t be there, and that he was missing her just as much as she was missing him, but listening to his voice, knowing that he was safe from the bad men and that he was still there, that was enough. 

He hadn’t called tonight though, and it was putting her on edge. Usually he called around seven one five, right after his family ate dinner and right before his mom put Holly to bed and he disappeared into his room to do his homework. 

It was hard not to be worried about him, not when she had spent the last one hundred and fifty two days worrying about him. She had seen him cry, heard him say that he had gone the entire day without eating anything, each day became harder than the day before. So, when he didn’t show up, she worried that something was wrong. 

She almost called Hopper down at the station, wanted to beg him to check up on Mike. Despite the fact that she wasn’t allowed to see him outside of the void, Hopper would never deprive her of knowing that Mike was okay, he knew how important Mike was to her, and how much it would destroy her if something happened to him. But at the last minute, she decided not to. 

She convinced herself that everyone was okay, that Mike was probably just with Lucas or Dustin or Will, that if she called Hopper and she went over to his house and everything was fine it would be suspicious and the last thing she wanted was to raise suspicion. 

So, she waited. 

And it was awful. 

She was currently in the middle of trying to remember the names of all the characters on Days of Our Lives, spelling them out as she went along when she suddenly heard a branch snap from outside. 

Catapulting up from her bed, she fell to the floor quietly, her heart beating quickly, sending adrenaline through her veins. She knew that it wasn’t Hopper, he hadn’t signaled her yet that he was on his way home and he  _ never _ walked over a branch. 

Sitting on the floor of her room, she listened carefully, straining her ear. It was hard to hear anything clearly, but the walls of the cabin weren’t that thick and despite the fact that her room didn’t have a window, it was easy enough to hear general sounds from the outside. 

“Shit!” 

The voice from outside was muffled but El still knew exactly who it was. 

_ Mike. _

Her heart was now beating quickly for a whole different reason. Questions were swirling around in her head faster than she could answer any of them,  _ what was he doing here? how he had he found her? did he even know she was here? did hopper know he was here? _

It fell silent outside and El didn’t move from her spot on the floor. She swore she could hear him moving around, but she didn’t know where he had gone. After a couple minutes, she knew she was going to have to move now if she didn’t want to lose him. 

Moving as quickly as she could from her room to the living room, she took a peek out the window, spotting him about to disappear into the treeline. Despite the way her palms were sweating and the fear that was crawling up her spine at the chance he might walk away before she can catch him, she smiles. 

She hesitates by the door, Hopper’s rules ringing loud and clear in the back of her mind. But, she hasn’t lifted any of the blinds and she wouldn’t technically be leaving the cabin if she stays on the porch right? Besides this was  _ Mike _ , he wasn’t going to hurt her. 

So she flings the door open, watching as Mike stops in his tracks. She waits, her blood pounding in her ears, her stomach full of butterflies. Every second that passes feels like a lifetime and for a moment, El fears that he’s not going to turn around, that he doesn’t know it’s her, so he’s going to keep walking. 

And she wouldn’t be able to chase after him. 

But that doesn’t happen, instead he turns to look at her and every painful night, every heartbreaking one sided conversation, every tear that she’s shed in the last one hundred fifty two days was worth it, because Mike Wheeler is standing in front of her and he’s looking at her with a look in his eyes that makes her feel weak in the knees. 

“El?”

Even though she’s been listening his voice every night, the sound of him saying her name without the void between them, bright and clear and awestruck, is the most beautiful sound she’s ever heard. 

“Mike.” Her voice is quieter then she means for it to be, a happy sob threatening to overtake his name, but she sees him smile, and in seconds his bounding up the stairs of the cabin and his arms are around her. 

It’s everything that she’s spend the last six months imagining it would be. She can feel his heart beating through his sweatshirt and she can hear his shaking breathing in her ear and she feels a couple tears escape and trail down her cheeks, falling onto the skin of his neck. 

“I can’t believe it’s really you.” She hears him whisper, his voice watery with tears. “I missed you so much.” 

“It’s really me. I’m really here.” El feels Mike squeeze her tighter at her words and she wonders if he’s ever going to let go and knows that she doesn’t want him to. “I missed you too.” 

Mike doesn’t reply and she can feel his body against her, shaking with silent sobs. She knows that they’ll be a million questions later and she doesn’t know if she’ll have all the answers and she has no doubt that when Hopper comes home, he’ll find them in this exact position and there will be a  _ long _ discussion about rules and secrecy and promises. 

But right now, Mike’s arms are around her for the first time in one hundred and fifty two days and that’s all that matters. 

**Author's Note:**

> this fic started as me imagining mike wandering around in the woods thinking abt eleven during their time apart and eventually turned into this mess that ended with mike and el hugging and never wanting to let go. which, all things considered is exactly how their reunion went on the show too, so. 
> 
> but anyways, i hope y'all enjoyed this! i'm having fun writing one shots for these two, so i'll probably try and write more in between writing my multi chapter fic. so yeah, lemme know what you thought of this!!!


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